I was stationed at Ft. Benning Georgia and was a calvary scout and a mechanized mortar gunner on a m113-4.5 inch mortar crew. it was pretty cool to hold a 4.5 inch mortar with a live fuse and nitro charges hooked to the primer charge and drop it down a tube with a firing pin at the bottom and it fires inches from your head, but it sure beats it landing inches from your head.
. BOOM
yeah it is 4.2 for some reason Ive always said 4 and a half? any way you've fired one? its awesome aint it. We did a traversing fire on a ridge at a firing range about dusk on a day it was kinda stormy, we were on the third traverse and was firing an HE round, I had just fired the round and it was maybe a second or a second and a half down range and it was struck by a lightning bolt and blew up!!!scared the living crap out of us. it was a long range shot so it seemed like the apc was about to flip when we fired it cause of the charge we had set on it, so when it blew so close.... we packed it in that day. True Story, I'll swear on a Bible!!
not anymore I'm in the business of putting out fires now not starting them or destroying things. Mom always said I'd either be an arsonist or a fireman. When i was a kid i was always playing in fire and gas setting ant hills on fire. I never got burned then (thank the Lord) but when I became a fireman, got hot tar from a roof that was burning, down my coat and some of it stuck to my neck, I was dancing around like riverdance trying to find the nozzle to get some water on it. Pay backs a B. aint it.
I have respect for anyone who serves our country! Both my brothers serve/served in the Army. My youngest adult brother got out after his tour in Iraq. My other little brother is currently serving his fourth tour in Iraq, and is stationed with his wife and two daughters in Germany. I miss them so terribly!
All of my male cousins (totaling 20) serve in the Army as well and I have another brother who is in the Navy. We have one cousin who was Army killed in Bagdad last year. Serious business!
firem3, Thank you. Thank you for your service to our country.
I have family down by Golf Shores Alabama. Haven't been there in 6 years. Lived in Roberstdale with my dad for six months when I was nine. I loooooove Alabama! Wish I could talk DH into living there.....he's scared of the alligators!
I enjoy Alabama its getting crowded though. if i had it my way we'd live in Montana, Wyoming or somewhere like that. if dh is skeered of gators stay away from north Alabama. There are gator up there too. I was told they brought them in to eliminate a pest and thought the small population they brought in would die off quickly but just like the kudzu they stuck around and have flourished. go figure